It's Me
by SRona58
Summary: Set during Iron Man - Pepper finds out Tony is alive after three months of captivity and they have a lot to talk about. Slightly AU after Tony returns.


Set in Iron Man - Pepper finds out Tony is coming home and is alive and well.

 **Disclaimer:** I do not own any of these characters or any part of the Marvel/Iron Man universe...though I do wish I lived in it. Excuse me if I miss a few details...this is my attempt to get back into writing after about a year break. Please read and review!

* * *

Day 94. And a half, almost.

Yes, she had been counting. Counting the hours, the minutes, the seconds, the-

"Are you sure you want to stay for this?" a voice crept into her ear from her left. "Go home, take a break. Take a day off. This is just boring corporate stuff anyway."

Pepper Potts looked at the man next to her with tired, makeupless eyes. They were red. They always were these days. She either spent the whole night on the internet or on the phone with Colonel Rhodes or in Tony's bed, crying herself to sleep while she clutched onto his sheets, though she would never admit that. They had lost their scent weeks ago, but it was still comforting somehow.

"No. Tony would want me here," she insisted in a whisper, dismissing Obadiah as the presenter blabbered on about some new tech they could use in place of Tony's arc reactor idea.

She was supposed to be taking notes, but she was only drawing doodles at this point. It was completely unlike her, but things had been different lately.

First, the call had come.

 _"Pepper, it's Rhodes. Are you sitting down? I need you to sit down."_

She shuddered, remembering how it all unfolded one day while she was waiting for Happy to show up at the mansion with Stark from his return flight. He had gone to Afghanistan with the unit to do a weapons presentation, it was the norm.

 _"Pepper, I'm so, so sorry. I don't know what happened."_

He was only supposed to be gone one day. One day, then he'd be back home, ignoring her as she nagged him about the photo shoots and the award ceremonies and the presentations he had to go to like he always did. Part of her liked it; it was a challenge.

 _"We were attacked and...and, Pepper, he's gone. Tony's..."_

She had tuned him out at one point. She was pretty sure she had clawed a hole in the couch, too. Somehow, she kept herself calm, but not easily. Their entire work relationship had flashed before her eyes as she thought about all the stupid, little quirks she loved and hated about him. Loved. It was a strong word, but it was becoming a reality.

 _"We don't know. He could be alive. I'm not coming home until I find him."_

Right. Tony was alive. And 94 days later, she still believed that. Something felt...like he wasn't gone just yet. He had potential. He had so much to do in life still. She...never got to tell him how she felt. Not that he'd care...she wasn't like the women he brought home. Even outside of being his PA, she wasn't petite and blonde with...welly reconstructed breasts. She was the exact opposite. And besides, they were like family; they would only be friends, and that was that.

 _"Pepper, I promise you...we're gonna find him."_

Every day she received an update from Rhodey. Every day since Tony was taken. It was beginning to be a ritual, to keep them both under control. She would never admit to him what happened when she returned home alone to Jarvis every day, or when she was sitting in the front seat of Happy's car just for some kind of human interaction. He probably knew, but she would never admit it.

Obadiah had tried to place her on leave. The first few days, she had called in sick; a first in the many, many years she worked for Stark Industries. But after the third day at Stark mansion by herself, she hadn't slept a wink; she'd been crying, staring at the computer screen in his workshop trying to have Jarvis track him, or quite honestly just sitting in his closet trying to remember each time they had spoken. She painted a picture in her mind every morning of the last time she saw him wear a suit, or the last time he teased her about wearing heels that made her taller than him, or the last time he came suggestively close to her when trying to regain his soberness after a party. She couldn't stand it anymore, so coming to work was the only distraction she had, even if it wasn't that effective.

Suddenly, her phone buzzed gently on the table top, interrupting the meeting as Rhodey's face appeared on the screen. It wasn't her lunch break yet, but she wasn't about to miss the call. She silenced the ring, then looked around apologetically.

"Sorry, I have to take this..." she whispered.

Pepper took the call into the hall, pacing on the other side of the glass walls and door. She tried to ignore Obie's eyes burning into her from the other side of them and took a breath before answering.

"Rhodey, how are you? Any update on-"

"Pepper, it's me."

She froze. Then she pulled the phone away from her ear and double checked the photo on the caller ID. Her heart rate picked up at an outrageous speed as she pressed it back to reply.

"T...Tony?" she croaked, trying desperately to slow her breathing.

"Miss me?"

She was quiet. She was speechless. Was she imagining this? She had to be.

"I'm not...is this a dream? I'm awake, right?"

A pause, and then. "I'd hope so...unless you've developed some sleep talking habit while I've been gone."

 _Gone_. The word stung. Over three months, he had been gone. And now... It was starting to settle in, but she wasn't completely accepting of it yet. This was the day she had been waiting for for 94 days. The one she pleaded would happen every night and every morning.

"Pepper, hey," Stark spoke again at the other end of the line. "Listen. I'm coming home."

She swallowed. "Coming...home...?"

"Yeah, like, where I live and work. Somewhere that's not in a cave."

His voice sounded horribly tired. It sounded raspy, and weary. He sounded...different. More serious. More...defeated.

"Pepper, you there?" he asked when she didn't speak.

Pepper forgot where she was. The noises of people bustling around her slowly faded and she clutched onto the phone until her knuckles were white. Before she knew it, she was seeing spots, and her breath hitched in her chest as she slowly sunk down to her knees in the middle of the hallway, pressing her palm against the glass wall for balance as she did so. Not realizing it, she had alerted the others, who abruptly stopped their meeting as they rushed outside to make sure she was okay.

"Pepper!" She heard Obadiah faintly before he touched her shoulder, but she didn't react.

"What...what happened?!" she finally managed out, her voice no more than a squeak.

"It's...a long story," Tony replied hoarsely. "Pep, look, I'm coming home a little...different."

"Different? How?"

"I'll explain when we get there."

Panic struck her hard, wondering what had happened. Had they beaten him up, or stolen an organ, or...a limb, or worse? She cringed, thinking about what he could have possibly gone through, and then, the tears started. It was a soft cry at first, until he heard her catch her breath.

"Pepper, hey, it's okay. I'm okay," he comforted - something Tony Stark didn't do...not even for Pepper Potts.

It drove her into a deeper cry, when the relief finally started settling in. Every bit of pent up sadness and fear that she had in her for the past 94 days was surfacing, finally, all at once, at the sound of his voice.

"I'm coming home, Pep. And...and I want you there."

"Of course!" she almost yelled, with a tone that told him her presence was obviously a given.

"I thought about you, you know," he admitted carefully. "While I was..."

Pepper snorted out a short laugh as he trailed off, realizing how absurd it was that he was telling her about his fantasies.

"Of course you were," she teased, feeling a hint of their relationship flowing back.

She almost heard his tired smirk on the other end of the line and pictured him in the suit she had sent him off in and his ridiculously large, shaded sunglasses that he wore both indoors and out.

"Pepper, what is it?" she heard Obadiah press, squeezing her shoulder faintly.

"Not like that," Tony's voice rang over the stand-in CEO's behind her. "We need to talk."

"Am I...are you firing me?" she asked slowly.

The group of executives around her stepped back a tad, realizing what was happening. Obie called for a security detail to have Happy ready to escort her, and demanded a meeting with the HR department to make sure they got things squared away with the military and press.

"Pepper, I need you to relax," Tony spoke kindly, knowing the hell she probably went through on her end was mentally and emotionally the same as what they had been doing to him physically. "I had a lot of time to think things over, and... There's just a lot of unspoken things we need to put on the table. Just you and me."

She nodded, though he couldn't see her. "When will you be back?"

"Uh, about an hour, I think. Have Happy bring you to the airport. No press."

"I'll...I'll be there soon," she agreed.

"Hey, Pepper?" he asked, stopping her from ending the call.

"Yes?" she whispered, smiling for the first time in 94 days.

"I missed you."

She paused, thinking if a reply would be best. Eventually, she settled on, "just get here safe, Mr Stark."

"See you soon," he promised, and the call ended with a beep.

* * *

Almost an hour later, they were there, standing on the runway of the military's small airport where they would be landing with Colonel Rhodes at Tony's side. Pepper stood tall in her two piece suit with her hair in a loose bun. Her eyes were still red from crying while they were on the phone. She rung her hands together, in and out and in and out, in nervousness.

Happy had been beyond ecstatic to hear about Stark's return. Even though he gave the security detail more hell than the job was worth, they had built a special friendship over the years, just as he had with Pepper. They shared a long hug, almost making Pepper cry again, before departing to the airport. Pepper sat in the front of the car, gripping onto Happy's hand for comfort the entire drive. Without her friend and coworker, she probably would have died of an anxiety attack on the way.

Then, as she started to feel woozy, they spotted it in the distance; the military aircraft, escorting her boss home. The cargo plane gradually lowered in the sky as it approached, and before she knew it, it was screeching to a halt on the runway and taxiing in their direction. Slowly, it crept to a stop and then it was time.

Pepper held her breath at the back dropped and revealed the silhouettes of two men; one, in military blues, and the other in a suit. Tony. Her Tony. Their Tony. 94 days, and this is the first time she had seen him in the flesh in front of her. Her lips pressed together tightly, trying to loosen the knot in her stomach.

Their eyes locked instantly, sending chills down her spine. He looked worn out, exhausted... His beard was shaggy and his hair as a mess, and dried blood crusted around spots on his face. His arm was in a sling, and he could barely stand without Rhodey's help. Still, she watched as he waved off the stretcher she had called for him, which made her roll her eyes, but it confirmed he was feeling better, which was more than enough for her.

Then, he detached himself from the Colonel as they approached his welcome committee.

"Your eyes are red," he commented, stopping in front of her. "A few tears for your long-lost boss?"

She smiled, biting her lip as she finally heard his voice again. His eyes scanned her up and down before meeting hers again, their chocolate depths pulling her in.

"Tears of joy. I hate job hunting," she replied, deciding to keep a formal greeting in respect to the Stark Industries representatives around them.

He noted her tone and took the hint.

"Yeah, vacation's over."

Pepper nodded shortly and followed her boss back to the car, admiring his strong stance even when he was damaged. Happy opened the door for Tony and Pepper waved him off, opening her own on the other side. She didn't need the special treatment. It wasn't her cup of tea, anyway.

"Where to, sir?" Happy called from the front seat, catching Stark's attention once they were all settled in the town car.

"Take us to the hospital, please, Happy," Pepper decided for Tony.

He was too busy looking out the window to come up with a decent answer, so he went with "no".

"No?" Pepper was annoyed. "Tony, you have to go to the hospital."

"No is a complete answer," he countered.

Pepper looked over at him, her phone now back in her hands in front of her. "The doctor has to look at you."

"I don't have to do anything," he answered matter-of-factly. "I've been in captivity for three months. There are two things I want to do. I want an American cheeseburger," he told her. Then, he let a dramatic pause pass before adding, "and the other..."

Pepper groaned in disgust and rolled her eyes, hoping that wasn't really what he wanted to talk about.

"That's enough of that," she decided and went back to her phone.

Stark smirked from behind his glasses. "...is not what you think. I want you to call for a press conference now."

"Call for a press conference?" she repeated, raising her voice slightly in shock.

"Yeah."

"What on earth for?!"

"Hogan, drive," he requested, ignoring Pepper. "Cheeseburger first," he specified.

* * *

His announcement at the press conference had come as a shock to her, but Pepper was waiting for some drastic change, to be completely honest. She figured it would've come in the form of backing down from CEO or wanting to move away from LA, but never that Tony would want Stark Industries to back out of the weapons game.

He had asked her to wait for him at the house, wanting to check out their power unit first. She hadn't the slightest clue as to what the hell he needed to do with the arc reactor after just coming home for the first time in three months, but she accepted his request and grabbed some dinner on the way home for herself. Then, she hurried to clean up the mess she made in the house before he got back, starting with his beloved workshop.

Not too long later, the sun had set and she heard what would now be her favorite sound.

"Welcome home, Mr Stark," Jarvis greeted as she assumed he entered the building.

"Thank you kindly, Jarvis."

"It's been a long time." A pause from the AI. "Based on news reports, I calculated your safe return at 0.25%."

"Yep, I missed you too," she heard Tony snap back as she padded up the stairs quietly.

When she made it to the living area, the lights were dimmed on slightly and she made out his weary frame sitting on one of the ottomans, inspecting the gift Obie had asked her to leave for him as a welcome home present.

"Tony?" she called delicately, making sure not to startle him.

Stark stood and gently removed his jacket, tossing it onto the couch as he turned to face his assistant.

"Hey," he greeted with a monotone voice.

"Do you need anything?" Pepper asked immediately, hurrying to grab his coat and hang it up for the dry cleaning in the morning.

"No, thank you, Miss Potts."

She nodded in response, hanging the jacket over her arm as she forced a smile. Her heart ached, and she wasn't sure what to say or do, but it was painful to see him this way. To not know what he had gone through or how to help him.

"Are you sure?" she pressed. "I can get you some water or-"

"Pepper, really, I'm okay."

"Okay."

An awkward silence hung over them for a moment as he let his eyes wander over her slim figure; she was frailer than he imagined.

"I need to show you something," he told her, deciding to wave her after him as he stumbled to the staircase and to his bedroom.

She followed him, regarding his uneven steps closely in case she had to help him the rest of the way, but eventually, they made it. Then, she realized she hadn't quite made it upstairs yet on her cleaning trip, and a blush crept onto her fair skin as Tony took in the way she left his bed; unmade and with one of his shirts tossed on the pillow for her to change into at night.

"Huh," he observed, beginning to loosen his tie and remove it from his neck.

"Tony, I can explain-" she began, sounding urgent and embarrassed, but he hushed her with a small chuckle.

"Don't. I don't mind."

"You...you don't?"

He shook his head, then turned back toward her. "It's been a rough three months."

She frowned, taking him in. "Tony, what happened?" she asked again, hoping for an answer.

He moved his gaze to the floor momentarily, but eventually brought it back up to her clouded blue eyes. His weren't much clearer.

"Uh, long story short, I was kidnapped. Kept in a cave in the mountains somewhere in Afghanistan. Waterboarded. Burned. Beaten. Almost drowned...Forced me to make my own weapons for their use."

She turned her head down at the words, as though trying to do all she could to keep the images from her mind. She had seen the tape they sent...how dazed and drugged he looked on it. Every second of it had her praying he wasn't murdered on film for all to see.

"They kept me with this guy...Yinsen. Also in captive. He uh, he saved me."

"Saved you? Where is he now?" she asked in a hush, letting her shoulders slump as she looked back at him.

Stark bit his lip, obviously uncomfortable with remembering everything so soon. She set the coat down on the bed and placed her soft hand on his bicep, squeezing lightly to try to make him feel a little more safe.

"You don't have to tell me now," she offered. "Unless you want to."

He nodded slightly, but kept his eyes on her. "Pep, there's shrapnel in my chest."

"Rhodey told me they shot at you," she informed him.

"It's...still there," he added after her remark, making her shoot a wary squint at him as though he were still drugged. "It's a long story. But...don't freak out, okay?"

"Freak out, why would I-"

Tony unbuttoned his shirt, revealing the blue glow of the makeshift arc reactor he had replaced the car battery with in the caves. It hummed a little, making her eyes widen as she reached out a hand to lightly touch the cool metal surface.

"Oh my _God_!" Pepper gasped, blatantly horrified. "Tony, what-"

"The arc works, Pep."

"The arc, like...the one powering the company?!"

"Just smaller," he confirmed. "It's keeping the shrapnel from entering my heart. From killing me."

"From...killing you?! You mean you could still die?!" she yelled, becoming more frightened by the second.

"Well, technically, but-"

"Tony, we need to get you to a doctor!"

Hr grabbed her hand, silencing her, and shook his head. "Pepper, I promise I'm fine. I know it's a lot to take in, but there's only two people I can trust here. You, and Rhodey."

"Yes, but-"

"I'm going to run some tests with Jarvis."

"Promise?" she asked, settling down a little though she was still shocked to her core.

"Promise."

"Okay..."

Tony's thumb ran little circles on the back of her hand as he stared into her eyes, trying to read her. She blushed at the contact, feeling the rough skin tug at hers.

"I came back for you," he told her simply after a while.

"What?"

"Pep, I've done a lot of stupid things in my life, and you'll surely be the first to admit that."

She let out a soft laugh, agreeing with his ridiculous statement. Then, he continued.

"I just need you to know...you're all I have. This...this house, this company...it's nothing to me, in the long run. But you...you stay, for whatever unknown reason, and I promised myself if I made it back here, I would make sure you knew how much I need you."

"Mr Stark, you couldn't tie your shoes without me," she joked, though she was appreciating every word he said.

"I know."

The way he said it made her smile fade and she knew he was serious. It was strange; Tony Stark was never like this, but Tony Stark also never went through a kidnapping before, either.

His thumb stopped, shaking her back to reality.

"Can you...can you stay?" he asked, swallowing nervously.

She glanced at the bed, then back at Tony, who's eyes she could never say no to, especially not now. Not when she hadn't seen him in 94 days. Not when all she wanted to do was spend every waking second making sure he was okay and alive, now that she knew about the arc implant.

"Of course," she decided.

Then, he was pulling her into a hug, and she easily wrapped her arms around his neck, settling her chin on his shoulder. She had never felt more torn apart inside, but at least she was feeling again. They would heal each other.


End file.
